Graham Avenue Meats and Deli Sandwich

You see that baby up there? It’s a pound of veggie glory—fresh buffalo mozzarella, eggplant cutlets, roasted peppers, sundried tomatoes, artichokes, peperoncinis, lettuce, tomato, red onion, topped with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and sprinkled with Mike’s special seasoning. This was my 4th sandwich from Graham Avenue Deli and Meats and each one was different since Mike likes to freestyle. It was the savory equivalent of a Kinder Surprise each time I unwrapped my sandwich.

I tried to replicate it last week to no avail. Perhaps because Mike makes most of the ingredients and each sandwich is carefully composed (they take about 10 minutes) with thought and care. So obviously using ingredients from Trader Joe's isn't going to cut it. Stop by the deli the next time you’re in Williamsburg because this is one meatless sandwich that isn't haunted by the specter of cold cuts.

Graham Avenue Meats and Deli
(off Graham Ave. L Stop)
445 Graham Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11211

Signed,
The derelict basterd who hasn't been cooking since switching coasts

Spam Báhn Mì

It seems appropriate that my first post represent where I currently live — Honolulu, Hawai‘i. What would a good Hawai‘i food post be would be without a mention of the beloved SPAM? Unless you're a vegetarian or something more extreme than that, there isn't a reason to love the pink cube of mysterious meat. If you're a meat lover and don't like Spam — you just don't know how to eat it properly. Same thing can be said for foods such as tofu. If cooked the right way(s), it's one of the most delicious things in the world. A perfect way eat Spam is fried and balanced out with some kind of carb, be it rice, noodles, bread or whatever else your creativity can think up. Just look at the annual Spam Jam event website to get some ideas of what you can do with the stuff.

Combining my love of Spam (which I think I eat on an average of once every two or three weeks) with my latest obsession with Vietnamese food, I thought a Spam Vietnamese sandwich (or bánh mì) would be perfect. You always see the sandwiches offered with ham, pate and headcheese, among other things. Why not Spam? Probably made of the same products, anyway. The salty meat balanced out with things cool, crisp, pickled and spicy sounds like an ideal meal experience.

The Battle of the Bánh Mí website was helpful in creating my first sandwich of this kind.

1 Vietnamese-style baguette (you can use any other kind of baguette if you can't find the Vietnamese kind)

Mayonnaise (the original spread is a mixture of egg yolks and vegetable oil. Sometimes I just use butter and mayo)

Do chua (pickled shredded daikon and carrots)

Cilantro

Cucumber slices

1 slice of fried Spam

Tomato slices (optional)

Jalapeño slices (optional)

I assume you know how to assemble a sandwich. Thưởng thức! Bon apetit!